"This has been a busy year, to say the least. It’s also been a fantastic year. The Rapture Tour threaded its way around this blue planet and everywhere we visited we received the moving welcomes that we are almost in danger of taking for granted. But be assured that they are never taken for granted; every night for us is a special night. I would like to thank everybody that has supported and encouraged us along the way. I must also thank my fellow musicians, all of whom are heroes of mine. I am decidedly in good company.

There are too many individuals to thank by name but a special mention must first of all go to our management team, Bruce, Spider, Barbara and Sarah. Next, I have to mention our loyal crew, our family on the road. I am proud that every show has been a smooth and professional affair and they have made the rigorous business that we are engaged in as easy as possible for us privileged musicians, who show up expecting everything to be ready - another case of things being almost taken for granted, but it’s not. I thank them all for their hard work and deprivations.

Of all the tours we completed this year, the reception we received in France was exceptional. In Paris, Gérard, our promoter, presented each of us with a ‘Gold Ticket” – a great looking plaque commemorating our box office achievement – we sold more tickets than any other band this year. I sincerely thank him and his staff. I’ve never seen anything like it before but it seems symptomatic of the way the business, at least our business, has changed. Live music rules!

I had fun in between tours as well. My daughter Gillian released her first album, Red Handed, in which I was happy to play a small part. She received so many compliments; I can’t count how many people told me how proud I should be of her. I know, I am extremely proud of her. Now she is starting work on her next album as well as writing and performing with the band Beat:Root.

I had the pleasure of working with my sound engineer, Peter Denenberg of Acme Studios, both on my own next album and the mix of DREAM THEATER’s great tribute to Made In Japan.

In the UK, a neighbour of my sister Christine, a ten year-old girl called Katie Turner, had a school project to complete and requested an interview from me. The subject was about changes in music in the UK since 1948. That would be a daunting project for anyone, including me, but she researched it well, gaining an understanding of music far beyond her years and produced an amazing result, receiving top marks. I congratulate her on a fine achievement.

Travelling takes up 90% of our lives and for several of the European tours our transport, a Metro SA 227 Series twelve-seater airplane with two pilots, was a real comfort. Our traveling days were therefore simplified and we could avoid the indignities of queuing for security checks, emptying carry-on baggage, taking shoes off, finding gates, waiting for the incoming plane to show up, listening to the lies that airlines offer for delays, the interminable wait for suitcases, etc., etc. It made a lot of sense to travel this way because we were playing cities that getting to any other way would have been be a major headache. I would like to thank all the pilots for their dedication.

All in all, I have nothing to complain about, other than the fact that I was rather ill with shingles on the most recent tour (I’m much better now) so I would like to end this year with a heartfelt appreciation of all that I have and all that has been given to me. Good fortune has again been my friend.

Thank you Andi Thul for looking after my website.

I wish you all a great season and all the best of luck for a healthy and peaceful New Year."

The website of the The Deep Purple Appreciation Society is also reporting:

"As you know, 2008 will be the fourtieth anniversary of Deep Purple, a fairly noteworthy event. There are a number of plans being discussed for ways to mark this in terms of special editions and archive releases. As soon as we've been cleared to announce anything, we'll let you know. There is a proposal for one release by each of the four original line-ups on EMI which would be a nice way to go, although these may be more skewed towards high quality packaging and presentation than unissued audio material - of which there isn't that much to go for."

The Pulse of Radio reports: Harmonix Music announced the final track listing for its highly anticipated Rock Band video game on Thursday (November 1). The 58-song soundtrack includes dozens of original master recordings by artists such as FOO FIGHTERS, METALLICA, NIRVANA, BLACK SABBATH, RADIOHEAD, SMASHING PUMPKINS, FALL OUT BOY, THE KILLERS, THE ROLLING STONES, THE WHO, NINE INCH NAILS, SOUNDGARDEN, THE CLASH and many more, spanning alternative rock, classic rock, metal and punk from the '60s to the present. In addition to 45 tracks from established stars, the game will also feature 13 songs from independent up-and-coming acts.

Rock Band comes out on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 platforms on November 20, and PlayStation 2 on December 18.

Al Jourgensen's band MINISTRY may be releasing their final studio album — "The Last Sucker" — on September 18 on 13th Planet/Megaforce Records, but that doesn't mean Jourgensen is saying good-bye to the inside of a recording studio. As a matter of fact, Jourgensen plans to spend significantly more time in the studio doing what he loves best — collaborating. And collaboration is at the root of "Cover Up", a soon-to-be-released album of some of Al's personal favorite songs being recorded by MINISTRY & CO-CONSPIRATORS in his El Paso, TX compound, 13th Planet Studios. MINISTRY & CO-CONSPIRATORS' "Cover Up" is expected to street in April 2008.

In addition to core MINISTRY members guitarist Sin Quirin (REVOLTING COCKS) and bassist Paul Raven (KILLING JOKE, PRONG, MOB RESEARCH), Jourgensen enlisted an impressive group of co-conspirators for "Cover Up" — FEAR FACTORY frontman Burton C. Bell (also of ASCENSION OF THE WATCHERS) sings on THE ROLLING STONES' "Under My Thumb", Tony Campos (bass) and Wayne Static (vocals) from STATIC-X are on THE BEATLES' "I Want You (She's So Heavy)", and PRONG's Tommy Victor (vocals) and MOUNTAIN's Leslie West (guitar) do justice to MOUNTAIN's classic "Mississippi Queen". "Cover Up" will also include MINISTRY's cover of THE DOORS' "Roadhouse Blues" (which can also be found on "The Last Sucker"), as well as RAM JAM's "Black Betty", DEEP PURPLE's "Space Truckin'", LOUIS ARMSTRONG's "Wonderful World" and "Radar Love" by GOLDEN EARRING. Additional featured artists, including CHEAP TRICK's Robin Zander (vocals) and Rick Nielsen (guitar), and tracks are in the works.

"It's a work in progress," states Jourgensen, "based on who's on tour and comin' through town. It keeps everything spontaneous. By now, everyone knows if they're droppin' by the studio, I'm gonna put them to work. I've got a few more surprises up my sleeve for this one.

"I'm just waiting on a few more return calls," laughs Jourgensen, "Seems like lately if you visit the 13th Planet compound, you'll end up on 'Cover Up' or I'll end up signing you to my label — or both," sites Jourgensen in reference to 13th Planet Records recent signing of Victor's PRONG and Bell's ASCENSION OF THE WATCHERS).

After 10 albums and 27 years (including a 2006 Grammy nomination for "Lieslieslies" from the "Rio Grande Blood" album, and a Grammy nod in 2005 for "The Great Satan" from "Rantology", Jourgensen has decided that the MINISTRY garage is ready to close its doors, but the revolving 13th Planet Studio doors remain open for Jourgensen's collaborations and also for upcoming new signings for his 13th Planet imprint. "The Last Sucker" is MINISTRY's 11th — and absolutely final — studio offering. "The Last Sucker" is the third in an unrelenting and uber-critical CD trilogy aimed at exposing the plethora of foils, failures and fabrications perpetrated by the George W. Bush administration.

"The Last Sucker" was produced and recorded this past spring by Jourgensen at his 13th Planet compound and sees the return of "Rio Grande Blood" musicians Victor on guitars, Raven on bass, with newcomer guitarist Quirin. Jourgensen and his engineer John "Bixby" Bilberry handled all the drum programming. In addition, Bell makes a vocal appearance on "Die In A Crash", as well as the album's final two songs, "End of Days" Parts One and Two.

DEEP PURPLE's broad base of fans worldwide can now access a totally new official web site for the legendary hard rock band to get the latest news, detailed information on the band, the best VIP concert ticket packages and exclusive new merchandise at www.deeppurple.org. The dynamic new site that launched today was crafted by their newly appointed webmaster Paid Inc. celebrity services.

"The band wanted a site where their fans could find everything they're looking for all at once," said DEEP PURPLE manager Bruce Payne. "The new web site gives them the opportunity to interact directly with their fans, as well as offer official collectible merchandise and VIP ticketing that fans know is authentic and the best quality."

The new web site currently includes a fan forum, audio interviews with band members, historical information, discography and news.

Within the next 60 days, the site will offer VIP ticket packages for the band's upcoming European tour, which kicks off in Italy in November and hits France and Belgium. Keith Garde, President of Paid celebrity services, said the site will be a central place for fans to stay connected and gain access to high-end concert experiences that includes some of the best seats in the house, opportunities to meet the band members, backstage tours and more. Merchandise is still being developed, and fans can expect to find a broad and ever-changing array of items filling the online store in the coming weeks.

"Our first goal since signing with DEEP PURPLE a couple weeks ago was to immediately establish an official online presence," Garde said. "Now we will expand it by adding the fun bells and whistles such as the online store, streaming video, contests and other opportunities for the fans and band to interact with one another. The site will be continually changing to keep fans engaged and entertained."

Since their start in the U.K. in 1968, DEEP PURPLE has reinvented itself multiple times, first establishing the sound that would eventually be known as "hard rock." Fans worldwide immediately recognize the pulsating chords of DEEP PURPLE's "Smoke on the Water", "Child in Time" and "Highway Star" (ranked as the 8th greatest rock guitar solo of all time). The band's numerous best-selling albums, including their seminal "Deep Purple in Rock" (1970) and "Machine Head" (1972), and their more recent successes such as "Rapture of the Deep" (Townsend 2005), have placed them firmly in the ranks of the top-70 best-selling artists of all time across all genres, with more than 100 million records sold.

The following story is courtesy of Michael Senft from The Arizona Republic.

DEEP PURPLE visits the Maricopa County Events Center on Aug. 17, but it isn't a nostalgia tour. The group is wrapping up a two-year tour of 48 countries in support of its 2005 album Rapture Of The Deep. But American fans probably don't know that.

"You have this thing called classic rock radio over here," says singer Ian Gillan in a recent phone call. "It's been a death sentence for all sorts of older bands. They don't play anything of ours other than Smoke on the Water and Highway Star. "

Gillan even addresses the problem with a song on Rapture Of The Deep, called MTV. The song was inspired by a real-life incident in Buffalo, N.Y.

"I heard (Purple bassist) Roger Glover doing a radio interview, trying desperately to talk about a record we did in 2003 called Bananas. I was listening to it and my jaw just dropped, as this deejay ranted on about 1973. She wasn't the slightest bit interested in what he had to say, or anything that had happened in the last 30 years," he says.

Which is a pity. With three albums under its belt and poised to celebrate its 40th anniversary next year, the current lineup of Purple has been on a creative and critical revival for the past decade.

Gillan credits the band's current success to the infusion of new blood - guitar wizard Steve Morse (DIXIE DREGS) replaced longtime Purple axman Richie Blackmore in 1997, and journeyman keyboardist Don Airey joined the group in 2002, replacing the retiring Jon Lord.

"They brought enthusiasm back to the band," says Gillan of his new bandmates. "We went through some pretty dark periods where the family atmosphere wasn't good - really deep troughs. We got out of that when Richie left and Steve joined. But it took us a few years to rediscover the joy of playing again. We were going through the motions just to survive before they joined."

Heavy metal fans will be banging their heads in delight this fall with the release of Rhinos's "Heavy Metal Box," due Oct. 2. The four-disc, 70-song set boasts classic tracks from Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Motorhead and Slayer, among dozens of others.

Arranged chronologically from 1968 to 1991, the compilation also boasts hits from bands like Deep Purple, Metallica, Black Sabbath, Iron Butterfly, Pantera, Alice Cooper, Venom, Testament, Rush and Megadeth; the project will be packaged in a box resembling a Marshall guitar amp.

The liner notes will include extensive photos, track commentary and interviews with Ronnie James Dio and Lita Ford.

Video footage of 22-year-old heavy metal singer Ari Koivunen performing two Finnish metal/hard rock classics on the national TV talent show "Idols" last night (Thursday, March 29) has been posted online on YouTube:

Ari Koivunen was one of two contestants who advanced to the show's final, which will be broadcast live on MTV3 from the Helsinki Ice Hall next Friday, April 4.

Former NIGHTWISH singer Tarja Turunen was the guest judge on last night's program.

Ari is from Lahti, the Finnish town that has given birth to such metal acts as PROFANE OMEN, BEFORE THE DAWN and ENTWINE. One of his hobbies is "Hevikaraoke" (Finnish "heavy metal" karaoke); in 2005 he won the Finnish karaoke championships. Among his favorite bands are IRON MAIDEN, RAINBOW, DEEP PURPLE, DIO, PROFANE OMEN and HELLOWEEN.

Chavis Records has announced the signing of QUIET RIOT. Their new release titled, 'Rehab' will be available October of 2006 in the US through Chavis Records.

Original members Kevin DuBrow and Frankie Banali are joined by Tony Franklin on bass (ex-The Firm and Blue Murder), session guitarist Neil Citron, and the voice of rock, Glenn Hughes (ex-Deep Purple and Black Sabbath). Glenn performed a vocal duet with Kevin DuBrow and contributed the bass track on the classic 1969 Spooky Tooth song 'Evil Woman'. QUIET RIOT recently reunited with Alex Grossi (guitar) and Chuck Wright (bass) to tour worldwide in support of the forthcoming Rehab release.

'Rehab' contains 11 blistering tracks and will be available throughout the US beginning October 3, 2006.

Pre-orders are now available by visiting Chavis Records' e-store where you can also visit the QUIET RIOT artist page to hear samples.

Beginning April 12, VH1.com launched its online search for the top air guitarists in the country, challenging all wanna-be rock icons to its "Air to the Throne" air guitar competition. The champion will win a trip to the "VH1 Rock Honors" event in Las Vegas where he or she will perform on the red carpet and be crowned VH1's "Air to the Throne". The champ will also win a coveted spot in the official U.S. Air Guitar Championship Finals in New York. Additional prizes include "Gibson New Century Flying V" guitars and "Guitar Hero" video games.

Submission Process: From April 12 - May 1, air guitarists across the country can submit a video of their best air-guitar interpretation of one of the following four songs: WARRANT's "Cherry Pie", TED NUGENT's "Cat Scratch Fever", DEEP PURPLE's "Smoke on the Water", and QUEEN's "Guitar Solo". In order to be eligible, participants must use 59 seconds of music from one of the four selected songs listed above. Interested air guitarists can submit their video via VH1.com by going to air.vh1.com.

Lemmy Kilmister, the notorious bass player and vocalist of U.K. rock 'n' roll titans Motörhead, will be honored with the very first "Living Legend" award at this year's inaugural Classic Rock Roll of Honor, organized by Classic Rock magazine. Taking place on Tuesday, October 4, 2005 at London's Café De Paris, the Classic Rock Roll of Honor will celebrate the big names as well as the unsung heroes from the diverse world of rock 'n' roll and promises to take a fresh approach to the tired award ceremony format.

To coincide with the 30th Anniversary of Motörhead, the U.K.'s most revered rock 'n' roll outfit as well as, unbelievably, Lemmy's 60th birthday celebrations, the Classic Rock Roll of Honor will place a special emphasis on the often diluted "Lifetime Achievement" award category.

Rather than simply giving Lemmy the "Living Legend" award on the night, the Classic Rock Roll of Honor will dedicate an entire section of the evening's proceedings to pay homage to the remarkable achievements of one of the U.K.'s best-loved rock 'n' roll stars. The team behind Classic Rock magazine and the Classic Rock Roll of Honor have assembled a moving tribute package that comprises of testimonials and greetings to Lemmy from a raft of peers and young bands and musicians inspired by the star, as well as messages from fans of all ages. It is hoped that Lemmy and the rest of Motörhead will complete the evening with a brief acoustic set. This however, has not been confirmed by the band at this stage.

In addition to Lemmy's "Living Legend" award, there will be a further eight awards on the night, which will be announced soon. Classic Rock also has announced the categories and nominations for the very first Readers' Awards, which are voted for by the readers via text message ballot: More...

SPV Records has set an Augut 22, 2005 release date for the reissues of the first three BRAZEN ABBOT albums: "Live and Learn" (1995), "Eye of the Storm" (1996) and "Bad Religion" (1997). The albums have been out of print since USG Records went out of business in 1999. No bonus tracks are planned for these re-releases, but they will feature new cover art. You can check out the new artwork at this location.

BRAZEN ABBOT released a live CD/DVD package, entitled "A Decade of Brazen Abbot", last November via Frontiers. The set includes footage from the band's shows in Bulgaria in support of the group's last studio release, "Guilty as Sin".

The lineup featured on the album and the DVD is as follows: Nikolo Kotzev on guitars; Joe Lynn Turner on vocals; Wayne Banks on bass; Lars Pollack on keyboards and Thomas Broman on drums.

Tony Iommi, the legendary Black Sabbath guitarist, will release his new album "Fused" on July 12, 2005, via Sanctuary Records. This will be Iommi's third solo album.

Joining Iommi on "Fused" is former Deep Purple vocalist/bass guitarist Glenn Hughes and former John Mellencamp drummer Kenny Aronoff, who has also played sessions with the likes of the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Rod Stewart, Alice Cooper, Bob Seger, Lynyrd Skynyrd and countless others. The trio will hit the road to promote Fused later this year after Black Sabbath finishes headlining the 10th anniversary Ozzfest tour.

Iommi has worked with both Hughes and Aronoff in the past. Hughes is a longtime friend who sang on the 1986 Black Sabbath featuring Tony Iommi album "Seventh Star." In 2004, previously unreleased songs they had collaborated on eight years earlier were completed and released by Sanctuary as The 1996 DEP Sessions. Aronoff played drums on the song "Black Oblivion" on Iommi's self-titled 2000 solo album, which was loaded with all-star guest appearances. "Fused" was produced by Bob Marlette, who also manned the studio boards for Iommi. More...

Alan Cullison writes a piece about Deep Purple playing in Russia and what these aging rockers mean to the people there.

The crowd of long-haired men and women had been standing outside the Hotel Bashkortostan for hours, shivering against the sleet in their black leather jackets, when a cheer erupted. Through the main door teetered a sleepy man with a gray ponytail, surrounded by broad-shouldered bodyguards with ear-pieces.

It’s Roger Glover, bass player for Deep Purple. All but consigned to the dustbin of rock history in the West, the hard-rockers are a hot ticket in Russia’s hinterlands. For a generation of Russians now settling into the routine of midlife, the familiar chords of “Smoke on the Water” bring back memories of youthful rebellion against Soviet efforts to suppress heavy metal.

“Deep Purple is a higher form of life for us; it is genius, it is inspiration,” said Alexei Kuznetsov, 43 years old, who took a week off from his job at a gas-pipeline company to follow the band along the Volga. “This is like having Lenin alive again.”

Here in Russia’s rust belt, British bands with names like Deep Purple, Whitesnake and Nazareth compete with home-grown talent like Tchaikovsky. Four books about Deep Purple have been published in Russia, and a fifth is in the offing. In October, the band played in 17 cities in Russia and Ukraine.

Tony Iommi and Glenn Hughes offer proof in the form of the album 'The 1996 DEP Sessions' set for release by Sanctuary Records on September 28, 2004. The album is being released under the banner Iommi with Glenn Hughes.

'The 1996 DEP Sessions' features eight electrifying songs recorded by these two legends. Iommi is one of the most influential and widely recognized guitarists in the history of rock music, known from Black Sabbath. Hughes was a member of Trapeze before achieving worldwide superstardom as the co-lead vocalist and bass guitarist in Deep Purple in the mid-1970s. He has enjoyed a prolific and diverse solo career.

The two friends had worked together a decade before on 1986's 'Seventh Star' album, which the record company at the time credited to Black Sabbath Featuring Tony Iommi for marketing purposes. The underrated 'Seventh Star' certainly had its highlights, but it featured a then-contemporary 1980s sound. 'The 1996 DEP Sessions' are said to have a much grittier, forceful, timeless sound.

Former Deep Purple and current Whitesnake frontman David Coverdale has commented on the upcoming the 30th Anniversary, remastered edition of Deep Purple's classic 'Burn' album, due on April 14th through EMI Records.

"I just received the test pressing of the 'Burn' remaster from EMI to review," Coverdale said. "I'm not sure about the 'remixes' they have done with an engineer they chose, but the band sounds KICK-ARSE!!! I was surprised to see they are releasing the album so soon as EMI only asked me last week to write the liner notes for the reissue CD booklet. Oh, well... We shall see... I was quite having fun remembering those days. I never really 'think' that far back, and I am always shocked at how much I actually recall once I start thinking about it. There is no doubt in my mind how powerful we were as a band. Just wait 'til you hear it remastered. My assistant and I felt the level was a little 'soft', so we are suggesting they CRANK IT UP!!! After all, this is PURPLE we're talking about!!! I haven't heard most of the songs for many, many years, so they sound fresh and vital to me. Splendid stuff!!! What an extraordinary time in my life."

BLACK-SABBATH.com reports that TONY IOMMI intends to release what's commonly known as the "Eighth Star Bootleg" - this material was recorded back in 1996 for what was then to be Tony Iommi's first official solo album - the recording features performances by vocalist/bassist Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple, Black Sabbath), keyboardist Don Airey (Ozzy, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple) and drummer Dave Holland (Judas Priest).